Part 42 (1/2)

He kissed her cheek. 'Off you go. And for G.o.ds sake, have a bit of a lie-in tomorrow. You deserve it. Now, Im a.s.suming you snagged yourself a couple of firemen and chained them to the walls with all your other lovers, so dont keep them waiting.

She snorted.

'And keep the noise down in there, he called after her.

She slammed her door.

'Kev, Im sorry, I cant let you back into your room until we get the OK and Ive no idea when that will be.

'No problem, Mr Checkland. Ill sleep here, in front of the range. Just in case anyone ... comes back.

I hadnt thought of that and looked at Russell in sudden alarm. He shook his head. 'If theyve got any sense, Richard and Julia have got him out of the country by now. Sharon, its really late. Ill get you a taxi.

'No need, she said, innocently. 'Ill stay too. Just in case. Ill curl up on the sofa.

'You dont have to do that, said my dense husband. 'There are spare rooms upstairs and I kicked him under the table.

' obviously you prefer to be down here in case of any emergency. Commendable ... dedication. Remind me to remember to pay you this month. Jenny, go to bed. You look dreadful.

Glad to go, I said goodnight and departed for the longest and best bath of my life.

Emerging, pink and fluffy some considerable time later, I found Russell in T-s.h.i.+rt and shorts, sitting at the bottom of my bed, rubbing his hair dry.

He dropped the towel and looked at me for a very long time. My heart rate picked up.

Finally, he said, 'You told your aunt and uncle that I went like a train?

Whatever I had been expecting, it wasnt that.

'What?

'You told them I went like a train. Do you even know what that means?

'Well, I heard someone say it once ...

'Not in connection with the Great Western Railway timetable, Im thinking.

'Um ...

'And how would you know anyway?

'Well ...

'How can I possibly maintain my reputation as a sober married man and responsible member of the community when youre das.h.i.+ng around telling everyone I go like a train?

'Um ... well, if you think it would help, I could tell everyone that on the contrary, you definitely dont go like a train.

He closed his eyes. 'I never actually thought Id have to say this, but Jenny please stop talking.

'I was just trying to help.

He shook his head. 'Sometimes, I really dont know what to do with you.

'Yes, you do.

He smiled. 'Yes, I do.

He stood quickly, scooped me up in his arms, laid me carefully on the bed, and made slow love with such exquisite gentleness that I nearly fell apart.

Epilogue.

I awoke very early. Even the birds werent up yet. I turned my head on the pillow and smiled at the giant, golden horse standing in the corner, swis.h.i.+ng his tail and filling the room with the scent of warm ginger biscuits.

'h.e.l.lo, Jenny.

'h.e.l.lo, Thomas.

'Come downstairs. Dont wake anyone.

I disentangled myself gently from the randy octopus sleeping next to me, found some clothes, grabbed an old sweater of Russells against the early morning chill, and quietly let myself out of the house.

He waited for me in the lane.

'Thomas.

I put my arms around him. It was so wonderful to touch him again. He lowered his head and rested his forehead against mine. I lost myself in huge happiness. I stroked his cheek, arranged his mane, and tidied his forelock. He blew in my hair.

'Shall we walk a little?

We set off in the dim, grey morning light. Somewhere in the trees, a bird started to sing. Theyd all be at it soon, heralding the start of another long summers day.

I put my hand on his neck as we walked. He didnt seem to mind.

'So, how are you, Jenny? Whats been happening?

Where to begin?

'Well, Russell is exactly the same. Hes painting like a madman at the moment. A local gallery took some of his work, which was quite well received. Someone came down from London to see them. He sold one and got a commission and the local paper did a piece about him and hes putting together a body of work for an exhibition next year.

'Hows it going? Is it coming back to him?

'Hes struggling a little. His work is different. I think hes making a mistake trying to capture his old style. Hes not the same person he was then.

'Is he happy?

'He shouts a lot, so I think so.